Onyapreneur: Adina Jacobs, Founder of STM Goods

Adina Jacobs is the co-founder of innovative Australian technical goods company, STM Goods. Adina launched the company in 1998 in Bondi, Sydney with the goal of providing Australians with technical products that are beautiful, durable and functional. STM Goods is now a global industry leader in laptop bags, packs, fitted cases and other tech accessories designed to make life and business ‘on the go’ easier.

In the last three years, STM Goods has doubled in size, tripled in revenue, has offices in Sydney, San Diego, London and Kuala Lumpur and has products available in more than 30 countries.

Tell us about STM Goods.

STM Goods makes innovative digital accessories designed to protect everyday essential devices including phone cases, laptop bags, iPad and laptop cases and portable power accessories. Our business has always aimed to provide technical products that are beautiful, durable and highly functional. In 2016, we also acquired Element Case – a luxury brand of premium phone cases that originated in the US.

What inspired you to start STM Goods?

I co-founded STM in 1998 with my business partner, Ethan Nyholm. It was before iPads and smartphones and when laptops were the most portable tech devices around and protecting them meant not just looking after the device, but making sure that the data on those devices was safe from drops and damage.

We started STM after recognising a gap in the market. Ethan bought a laptop and struggled to find a bag that protected the device and accommodated his active lifestyle. When he couldn’t find one, he purchased a padded envelope from the post office, put his laptop in it and carried it around in a backpack. We quickly realised that we couldn’t be the only people looking for this type of bag, so we decided to start STM and created a bag that looked like a normal backpack but featured a protective section for your laptop and was comfortable and stylish. We were confident our idea would be successful – we bought 250 bags with all the money we had and knocked on doors until we found our tribe – Apple computer users who were a niche, creative and daring bunch. Laptop protection was important to them and they cared about style so were happy to spend on accessories.

We were soon stocked in most of the Apple resellers in Australia and as Apple’s popularity grew, so did our business and our brand. When Apple later launched the next big thing, iPhones and iPads, we quickly had to learn how to create molded, fitted cases and this was a steep learning curve for us which taught us to be adaptable and agile. We’ve expanded from that sole focus on Apple products and our laptop bags fit a wide variety of devices and we make cases for Microsoft Surface tablets.

At STM Goods, our mission is simple – to create products that matter to ‘Generation Do’. ‘Generation Do’ is a term we’ve coined – they’re people who aren’t just thinking about things, but they’re out there doing them. They’re people who are making waves inside and outside organisations, they’re speaking out, and they’re starting businesses.

Tell us about your career and background.

When we co-founded STM Goods, I was working as an accessories buyer in the fast fashion industry and Ethan was the IT manager at the same company. I’ve also been an accessories buyer for a well-known Australian swimwear brand, where I was responsible for developing the accessories programs that complemented the swimwear. These experiences really gave me an amazing grounding for product development and production in China which directly translated into some of the skills I needed for STM. As the Director of Product, I lead the teams to design, develop and produce all STM merchandise and I’m also involved in high level strategy brand marketing.

Describe a typical work day for you.

Our marketing team and a key product representative are based in the US, so most days start really early so I can get as much cross over with them as possible before they call it a day. When I first wake up around 5.15am, I scan my emails and our internal message boards to see if there’s anything I need to respond to urgently so that they can move things forward once they have what they need from me. This also helps me plan out my day so that when I get in to the office I can hit the ground running. Three mornings a week I exercise before heading to the office and I’m normally sitting at my desk by 7.30am. I have 3 kids, but since I leave so early (by 5.45am) my husband runs the morning show at home.

My mornings usually involve meetings with the US teams and having conversations around existing projects and new products and projects. Our Asian factories are 2-3 hours behind us, so by 11am we’re ready to start communicating with them. My afternoons are mainly focused on research, follow up and moving things along. I leave the office around 3pm to take on the afternoon set with the kids – I pick them up from school and take them to various activities and supervise homework. I travel a lot for work, so every couple of months I’m packing a bag for a 3-5 day trip. It’s usually to China or Vietnam, but I also go to the US frequently.

What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?

STM Goods is currently celebrating its 20th year in business and we’ve been through periods of massive change over that time including huge growth, the launch of exciting new products and the acquisition of the Element Case brand, all of which has been both challenging and rewarding. Starting a business is hard and takes courage but fortunately in Australia, the entrepreneurial community is filled with generous people who are willing to share their resources, success and failures.

In the last few years, I’ve become more involved in this community through my involvement in a number of initiatives including the Rare Birds community, the Entrepreneurs Organisation and my work with an amazing program called Mentor Walks, a monthly event series that connects emerging female leaders with senior women from diverse professional communities where they can together discuss their challenges and aspirations.

What’s next for you, and STM Goods?

After 20 years in business, STM Goods is in the best position that we’ve ever been in. In the last three years, the business has doubled in size, tripled in revenue and nearly tripled its global retail presence with offices in Sydney, San Diego, London and Kuala Lumpur, and products available in more than 30 countries. To celebrate and recognise our business’ current mission, we have just launched a fresh brand with a new ‘Spear’ logo that represents bold ambition and resourcefulness. We’ve started 2017 with a new look and a big goal – to continue growing our global footprint and become the brand of choice for ‘Generation Do’.